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9-1-1 Launch - Warden's Address

02/04/00

We have had occasion to celebrate many successes at various County functions over the years, but I cannot think of a more important or significant accomplishment than the one we celebrate here today. 9-1-1... Three simple numbers, but what a difference those three numbers can make - the difference between life, and death.

As of today, it’s just a matter of dialing those three well-known numbers to get help, anywhere in Renfrew County. Whether it’s firefighters, police or an ambulance you need, it’s now just a matter of dialing 9-1-1. The numbers, and the concept behind them, are simple. But there’s a wealth of work and cooperation behind these three numbers we introduce to Renfrew County today. The work stretches back to 1984, when 9-1-1 was first recommended for Renfrew County at a special meeting of all county emergency service providers. Several meetings followed to define just what needed to be done, and to determine the feasibility of covering ALL of the County... Would we have to limit 9-1-1 to the Highway 17 corridor? Would coverage be limited to the 732 and 735 telephone exchanges in Pembroke? There were many questions to be answered. Leading the way in that early work was our original 9-1-1 steering committee, which was formed in 1989. Members of that committee are here to celebrate with us today, and at this time I would like to formally acknowledge the work of ....... (NAMES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE). Over the years, the seeds planted by that original 9-1-1 organizing committee have taken root in every corner of our County. Hundreds of volunteers have been involved in this effort. Some helped organize the 1994 International Plowing Match, which contributed half-a-million dollars to this very worthy project.

You can’t spend much time in Renfrew County without hearing the name “Fred Blackstein”, and our ceremonies today would not be complete without mention of this key local figure. Fred was the driving force behind the International Plowing Match. He’s tireless, selfless and - dare I say - “matchless” (pardon the pun). Whatever adjectives we choose, Renfrew County would not be the same without him, and I’d like to invite Fred Blackstein to stand now and accept our public acknowledgement of his many contributions to our community.

We were also fortunate enough to receive $400,000 through the Canada Ontario Infrastructure Works Program. This money was instrumental in the civic addressing part of the project, and was used for the staffing and equipment to measure our rural roads, calculate addresses and produce the detailed maps necessary to make 9-1-1 work.

The money was important, but you need more than a healthy bank account to get a project like this off the ground. I cannot begin to thank everyone who has contributed to our 9-1-1 project, but there are some specific names that must be mentioned.

Many members of our County staff have taken leadership roles in this project. And I can safely speak for County Council in saying that we are proud of their contributions. I would ask these people to stand and be acknowledged as I mention their names:

Karen Landman served as our original 9-1-1 Coordinator Mark Behm is a member of our Roads Department who put in many hours on the 9-1-1 project Greg Pulham, our Senior Planner Robin Cunningham, who now serves as our Civic Addressing Coordinator, and was previously our Field Technician Karen Handford, our original Civic Addressing Coordinator and now our GIS Computer Technician, responsible for all of the mapping for fire and ambulance services and last, but not least, Vance Bedore, who has served as the 9-1-1 Coordinator on behalf of the County of Renfrew. The word “cooperation” has popped up a few times in the course of my comments today, and I’d like to conclude by reflecting on the cooperation that has gone into our 9-1-1 process. We’ve even crossed provincial boundaries with this project, providing 9-1-1 service to homes in the “Da Swisha” area which are served by the Rolphton telephone exchange.

Twenty-seven independent fire departments have made a very smooth transition to one central dispatching system - that takes a lot of work and coordination and determination.

Municipal staff throughout the County, from Township Clerks to Roads Superintendents, have served as our frontline resource for the public. They’ve spent endless hours working on address lists and preparing road-naming bylaws.

Volunteers in every municipality in this County have helped staff to identify and calculate the 25,000 new property addresses in our County. These people have travelled hundreds of kilometres to perform their duties. Another group of volunteers has served on our fire services committee, a public awareness committee and our overall 9-1-1 organizing committee.

Professional staff have also played a key role in our 9-1-1 implementation plan. Representatives of each emergency service - police, ambulance and fire - have spent hours ensuring that their services are ready for today’s activation of 9-1-1.

Our politicians and community leaders must also be commended for their support, commitment and dedication on behalf of the residents and businesses of Renfrew County.

It is an honour to stand here today as your Warden, and to celebrate this major achievement. I’ll finish my remarks by introducing our youngest 9-1-1 contributors - the school children who participated in a recent design contest to create some pretty nifty t-shirts for our school ambassadors to wear in every school in Renfrew County. These ambassadors will be a key resource, visiting every classroom in the County to explain how 9-1-1 works and how it should be used.

So, I’d now like to call on Lynda Jenkins, Bell Canada’s 9-1-1 Manager, to come forward and help me recognize some of our young leaders of tomorrow who are with us here today........ (present t-shirts, etc. to student artists.... then introduction of other speakers)